PurposeIn recent years, healthcare workers (HCWs) in Lebanon have encountered compounded traumatic exposures, including the Beirut Port blast, COVID-19, and an ongoing economic crisis, often preceded by early-life adversities such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Understanding how these acute stressors interact with early adversities is crucial for assessing their long-term psychological impact. Accordingly, this study examines the extent to which these combined factors predict the development of full and subthreshold posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) over time.MethodsA cohort study was conducted following 296 HCWs from Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, with assessments at two timepoints: 6–7 months and 2–2.5 years after the Beirut Blast. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PCL-5, applying both full-threshold criteria and six definitions of subthreshold PTSD. Bivariable and multivariable analysis were conducted.ResultsAt 6–7 months, acute stressors (financial hardship, Beirut Blast, and COVID-19) were significantly associated with PTSD across most definitions. However, by 2–2.5 years, ACEs became the strongest and most consistent predictor of both full-threshold and subthreshold PTSD, while the impact of acute stressors diminished.ConclusionThe impact of acute trauma on the risk of PTSD fades over time, while early-life adversity has an enduring impact. The findings highlight the importance of including developmental trauma histories in PTSD assessments. In concordance with stress sensitization and neurobiological models, the results indicate a marked temporal shift, where the diminishing effects of acute stressors give way to the enduring role of early life adversity in shaping PTSD symptom trajectories.
How stressful life events are associated with depression: the mediating pathway of security in a clinical adolescent sample
BackgroundStressful life events are well-established risk factors for adolescent depression; however, the psychological mechanisms underlying this association remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding which types of stress and which dimensions of security are most closely linked to depression. This study aimed to investigate whether security and its two sub-dimensions statistically mediated the association between stressful life events and depression among clinically diagnosed adolescents, while also examining the relative strength of indirect associations across specific stress types.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with 284 adolescents (70.1% female; mean age = 15.82 ± 1.86 years) diagnosed with major depressive disorder according to the DSM-5 criteria at a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Western China. Participants completed the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Security Questionnaire (SQ) questionnaires. Simple mediation, parallel mediation, and dimension-specific analyses were performed using the PROCESS macro (Model 4) with 5,000 bootstrap resamples, controlling for gender and parental marital status.Resultsstressful life events were significantly positively correlated with depression (r = 0.491, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with security (r = −0.464, p < 0.001). Simple mediation analysis revealed that security demonstrated a significant indirect association through security (indirect effect = 0.176, 95% CI [0.126, 0.232]), accounting for 53.8% of the total association. Parallel mediation analysis further indicated a dual-pathway model: both Interpersonal Security (indirect effect = 0.083, 95% CI [0.037, 0.133]) and Certainty in Control (indirect effect = 0.093, 95% CI [0.043, 0.152]) functioned as significant statistical mediators of comparable magnitude, with no significant difference between them (Contrast = −0.010, 95% CI [−0.065, 0.042]). Furthermore, dimension-specific analyses revealed that Interpersonal Stress (standardized indirect effect = 0.266) and Academic Stress (standardized indirect effect = 0.231) showed the strongest indirect associations with depression through the security pathway. Exploratory subgroup analyses revealed a gender-crossed pattern: for male adolescents (n = 85), the indirect association was significant only through Interpersonal Security (effect = 0.116, 95% CI [0.048, 0.199]); for female adolescents (n = 199), it was significant only through Certainty in Control (effect = 0.136, 95% CI [0.067, 0.212]).ConclusionSecurity functions as a significant statistical mediator in the association between stressful life events and adolescent depression. The findings are consistent with a “dual-pathway” model wherein stress is concurrently associated with lower levels of both relational security (Interpersonal Security) and personal agency (Certainty in Control). Exploratory analyses suggest that the relative importance of these two pathways may differ by gender. If confirmed by future longitudinal research, clinical interventions may benefit from an integrated approach that addresses both dimensions, with particular attention to interpersonal conflicts and academic pressure as the stressors most strongly associated with depression through security pathways.
STAT+: Dana-Farber CEO talks untangling from Mass General Brigham and building new cancer hospital
Benjamin Ebert became CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at an inflection point in late 2024, helming the organization in the midst of building a massive $1.6 billion cancer hospital, and winding down its partnership with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to instead pair up with Beth Israel Lahey Health.
The wheels of change were set in motion by his predecessor, Laurie Glimcher, who led Dana-Farber from 2016 to 2024. But Ebert, a medical oncologist who previously served as chair of the department of medical oncology at the institute for seven years, has no shortage of ideas and vision for Dana-Farber’s future. He recently detailed them to the Globe. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
You’ve embarked on this huge project set up by your predecessor. While things are coming together, it seems there’s still so much to do.
Kent and Medway mental health appointments launch online
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust has a launched a portal to give patients 24/7 online access to their mental health appointments.
Sovereignty: A strategic imperative the NHS cannot ignore
Digital sovereignty receives only a fraction of the attention given to AI. That needs to change, argue digital health leaders
The associations of systemic inflammation and insulin resistance-related indicators with psychopathology and BDNF in patients with chronic schizophrenia
BackgroundThe triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and C-reactive protein-triglyceride-glucose index (CTI) are innovative indicators for assessing insulin resistance (IR) and inflammation, yet research on them in patients with schizophrenia remains limited. This study aimed to explore TyG index and CTI levels and their associations with psychopathology and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in patients with chronic schizophrenia (CS).MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted across one general hospital and two psychiatric hospitals in Anhui Province, China. Socio-demographic information and hematological parameters were collected from participants, and their psychiatric and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS), respectively.ResultsA total of 324 patients with CS and 150 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the study. Compared with HCs, patients had higher TyG index and CTI levels (all P < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that among patients, a high TyG index level was significantly associated with higher BDNF levels and lower negative factor scores of the PANSS, while a high CTI level was significantly associated with higher depression-hopelessness factor scores of the CDSS and lower negative factor scores of the PANSS (all P < 0.05).ConclusionPatients with CS had higher levels of TyG index and CTI, which were significantly associated with the severity of negative and depressive symptoms, as well as BDNF levels. It is suggested that the integration of the TyG index and CTI into clinical monitoring for patients with CS is necessary.
IBM awarded £160m to transform NHS App into ‘health companion’
NHS England has awarded a contract worth more than £160m to IBM for the supplier to support the development of the NHS App.
NHS Scotland websites linking to adult and illegal sports content
NHS Glasgow’s cyber security team is working with a GP practice after its website was linked to adult content and illegal sports streams.
Movers and Shakers news roundup
This roundup includes a host of NHS England departures as well as a new national chief digital, data and technology officer.
CAR T Cells Drive Recovery in Severe Autoimmune Disease Case
A single infusion of zorpocabt agene-autoleucel (Zorpo-cel), an autologous CAR T-cell therapy, has led to a rapid and sustained remission in a patient with multiple life-threatening autoimmune disorders, according to a newly reported case published in Med.
Researchers from the University Hospital of Erlangen at Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany describe how a CD19-targeting CAR T-cell therapy successfully treated a 47-year-old woman suffering from severe autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), along with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APLAS). All three conditions are driven by malfunctioning B cells that produce harmful autoantibodies attacking the body’s own tissues.
The patient’s condition had proven exceptionally difficult to manage. Over nearly a decade, she had undergone nine different treatment regimens, including steroids, immunosuppressants, and antibody-based therapies, without lasting success. Her AIHA was particularly severe, leaving her dependent on daily blood transfusions and at risk of organ damage due to chronic anemia and iron overload.
With no effective options remaining, the clinicians, under compassionate use, turned to the CAR T-cell therapy developed by Miltenyi Biomedicine. This technique involves collecting a patient’s own T cells, genetically modifying them to target the B cell marker CD19 and reinfusing them to eliminate the dysfunctional immune cells.
The results were striking. Within just seven days of treatment, the patient no longer required blood transfusions. By day 25, her hemoglobin levels had returned to normal, indicating a complete resolution of the hemolytic anemia. Laboratory markers of red blood cell destruction also normalized rapidly.
Equally notable was the therapy’s broader impact. The patient’s elevated antiphospholipid antibodies—responsible for dangerous blood clots in APLAS—fell to normal levels and remained undetectable through 11 months of follow-up. Meanwhile, her platelet counts stabilized, indicating improvement in ITP without the need for additional treatment.
Researchers attribute this success to a “reset” of the patient’s B cell population. Unlike conventional therapies such as rituximab, which partially deplete B cells, CAR T cells appear to achieve deeper and more durable elimination. When B cells eventually returned months later, they were predominantly naïve, suggesting a reprogrammed and healthier immune profile.
Importantly, the treatment was well tolerated. The patient experienced none of the serious side effects commonly associated with CAR T therapy in cancer patients, such as cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity. Some mild liver enzyme elevations and blood count abnormalities were observed, likely related to prior treatments and iron overload rather than the therapy itself.
This is the second clinical win for Zorpo-cel in the treatment of autoimmune diseases this year. In January, the Phase I/II basket trial known as the CASTLE trial reported encouraging early results of Zorpo-cel administration in 24 patients with treatment-resistant autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM). The therapy showed a favorable safety profile, with no cases of severe cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity observed. Efficacy outcomes were strong: 22 of 24 patients met predefined endpoints, including remission in most SLE patients, halted disease progression in all SSc patients, and meaningful clinical responses in the majority of IIM cases.
The case highlights the growing potential of CAR T therapy beyond oncology. Previous studies have shown promising results in systemic autoimmune diseases like lupus, but evidence in hematologic autoimmune disorders such as AIHA has been limited. While the findings are encouraging, researchers caution that this is a single case report. Larger, controlled clinical trials will be necessary to confirm safety, effectiveness, and long-term outcomes across diverse patient populations.
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